Ayodhya, Jun 16 (IANS): Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, his family and all 18 Members of Parliament of the party, on Sunday, arrived in Ayodhya and offered prayers at the Ram Janambhoomi temple.

Thackeray, who was welcomed by Union Minister Arvind Sawant at the airport, said that coming to Ayodhya was a matter of faith for him. He said he was confident that a grand Ram temple would be built soon.

The Shiv Sena chief arrived here in a chartered plane along with wife Rashmi and son Aditya and went to the hotel where he was joined by his MPs who had arrived earlier.

Thackeray and his MPs were welcomed with flowers and drummers and ‘dhol' players.

Meanwhile, Iqbal Ansari, a plaintiff in the Babri title suit, said that coming to Ayodhya with party MPs was not a matter of faith but a matter of politics.

"Coming to Ayodhya and offering prayers at Ram temple and other temples is a matter of faith but coming with party MPs is not faith -- it is politics," he said.